As You Wish Weddings and Events: August 2011

We all know that current traditions say that the bride is the only one who should be wearing white at a wedding. It wasn't always this way. White was actually considered a color of mourning in ancient times. Brides dresses would be deep, rich colors and bridesmaids would wear dresses in similar color and style to the brides. It was a superstitious tradition for bridesmaids to dress similarly to the bride to ward off evil spirits. Queen Victoria changed that by wearing a white dress in her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert, though the bridesmaids still stayed in colored dress. Now it seems the tides are changing and brides are more open to their bridal parties wearing the pure color just as they do.

Most notably was Pippa Middleton as maid-of-honor for Catherine Middleton this past spring. Typically in British weddings the wedding party consists of younger girls dressed similarly to the bride. These girls are young enough that white isn't considered taboo, much like putting a flower girl in a miniature version of a brides dress in American weddings. But when Pippa stepped out in her stunning white Sarah Burton dress she shocked people and started a new trend for weddings stateside.

Kate Moss followed the trend in her July 2011 wedding having her wedding party wear white as well. She wore an almost ivory colored John Galliano dress but had her 16 bridesmaids and flower girls decked out in white giving the wedding a very ethereal feel to it.

And of course now we know that Kim Kardashian was the more recent celeb to follow the white trend dressing sisters Khloe and Kourtney in white dresses for her wedding this past weekend. She even asked guest to dress in black and white to give the wedding a very clean look to it.

This trend is not just for celebs. Whether you're having an outdoor beach wedding or an evening candle lit traditional ceremony the clean look of all white can be a stunning backdrop for bright accent flowers and sashes to add that splash of color in a more subtle fashion. So are you daring enough to go all white at your wedding?

Happy planning, from all of us at As You Wish!